Friday 16 April 2010

Flag this: Nova Scotia artist Tom Forrestall at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection for the closing day (April 25) of his 50-year retrospective

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Rare opportunity to meet acclaimed magic realist artist!
Nova Scotia artist Tom Forrestall at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection for the closing day of his 50-year retrospective


April 16, 2010 Kleinburg, ON — Acclaimed magic realist artist Tom Forrestall will be at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection on Sunday, April 25 to help close the retrospective exhibition of his work, Tom Forrestall: Paintings, Drawings, Writings. The Dartmouth, Nova Scotia painter will meet with visitors and sign copies of the exhibition publication.
Tom Forrestall will be at the McMichael gallery beginning at 1:30 p.m. to meet visitors and talk about the 50-year retrospective that has been on display at the gallery since January 30. There will be a docent-guided tour of the exhibition at 2:00 p.m. and Mr. Forrestall will then be available to sign copies of the exhibition publication, which was written by McMichael Executive Director and CEO, Tom Smart, and traces the development of Forrestall’s art and the depth of his long artistic career.
The exhibition, Tom Forrestall: Paintings, Drawings, Writings, organized and circulated by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and curated by Tom Smart, is a retrospective exhibition which chronicles the artist’s curious observations and exploration of his surroundings, the nature of his creativity, and the source of his visions, through his works. Forrestall’s art has been classified as Magic Realism—a term used to describe the work of a coterie of East Coast Canadian painters who emerged after the Second World War (Forrestall, Alex Colville, Christopher Pratt, and Mary Pratt). Although their geographic roots, styles and vocabularies were similar, these artists applied themselves differently, each adapting naturalism in a personal way.
Tom Forrestall is one of the leading figures associated with the visual arts in the Maritime region. His work has been exhibited and is represented in every major public collection in the region and beyond, including numerous solo exhibitions in prominent galleries worldwide.
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About the Gallery

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Culture. It is the foremost venue in the country showcasing the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. In addition to touring exhibitions, its permanent collection consists of more than 5,500 artworks, including paintings by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, First Nations, and Inuit artists. The gallery is located on Islington Avenue, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in Kleinburg, and is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors/students and $30 for families. There is a $5 fee for parking. For more information about the gallery visit www.mcmichael.com.

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Media Contact:
Stephen Weir, Publicist
Gallery: 905.893.1121 ext. 2529
Toronto Office: 416.489.5868
Cell: 416.801.3101
sweir@mcmichael.com
stephen@stephenweir.com
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CUTLINES: Top: Tom Forrestall backed into a corner! Photo taken during the set up of his retrospective at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. Forrestall, a Nova Scotia artist, is know for his magic realism style of painting.
Bottom: Tom Forrestall and his daughter stand in front of the historic fireplace in the McMichael Canadian Art Collection's Founder's Lounge. The Canoe Lake sign is a railroad sign from Alqonquin Park - where Tom Thomson used to get off the train